Monday is Labor Day, holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being. While the library will not be open on Labor Day, we did put together a list of books for all ages…
If you love music, classical music, and the composer Ludwig Van Beethoven, I would highly suggest you read this Why Beethoven: A Phenomenon in One Hundred Pieces! This is a great music history book that dives into the stories behind Beethoven’s musical compositions that the author discusses in the book. Norman Lebrecht reveals through Beethoven’s…
July is known as Disability Pride Month! Disability Pride initially started as a day of celebration in 1990—the year that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. That same year, Boston held the first Disability Pride Day. This month is meant to celebrate disabled persons embracing their disabilities as integral parts of…
The Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, but it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay,…
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, which was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. This month-long celebration demonstrates how LGBTQ Americans have strengthened our country, by using our…
The host of our biography book club, Angelina, recommends April’s book club choice: Finding Me by Viola Davis. About her memoir, Davis says: This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose…
May is Jewish American Heritage Month! This month gives us the opportunity to celebrate the diverse and vibrant history, culture, and contributions of Jewish Americans through the years. There area many ways to celebrate Jewish American Heritage. One way we are celebrating at the Peabody Institute Library of Danvers is through this reading list that…
April 11th is national pet day! To celebrate at the Peabody Institute Library of Danvers, we have compiled a discovery list of books and movies that our pets recommend! Tessie Recommends: The Beagle Handbook by Dan Rice Here is detailed advice for owners of this cheerful breed, which is adaptable as a hunter or a…
All Kinds of Lives (March 2023) by Shilpa Jacobie and Max McConnell
Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California as a “Women’s History Week” in 1978, which corresponded with March 8, the International Women’s Day. In 1980, a consortium of women’s groups successfully worked together and lobbied for national recognition of Women’s History Week. Women’s History Week was celebrated in March until…
It is award season! In celebration with the 95th Academy Awards ceremony tomorrow night, we have compiled a list of recommendations based on nominees. This discovery list includes at least one book recommendation for every film nominated in the Best Picture category. All Quiet on the Western Front If All Quiet on the Western Front…
February is Black History Month. The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.…
Angelina did a survey with her book club to find out their favorites that they’ve read so far. Here are the top three so far! 1. Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl “When Condé Nast offered Ruth Reichl the top position at America’s oldest epicurean magazine, she declined. She was a writer, not a…
A lot of folks have a very set view of Howard Stern. Now 65, he’s in a new phase of his life and while he still maintains some of his outrageous (some might say offensive) traits, he is one of the most successful interviewers in broadcasting. In this book, he shares the best of the…
“In this unique and lovingly detailed biography of a literary family that has enthralled readers for nearly two centuries, Victorian literature scholar Deborah Lutz illuminates the complex and fascinating lives of the Brontës through the things they wore, stitched, wrote on, and inscribed. By unfolding the histories of the meaningful objects in their family home…
About Victoria: The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire: “When Victoria was born, in 1819, the world was a very different place. Revolution would threaten many of Europe’s monarchies in the coming decades. In Britain, a generation of royals had indulged their whims at the public’s expense, and republican sentiment…
I know what you’re thinking, those of you with less than pleasant memories of Kafka (thanks to High School English class, right?), but here’s the thing: For all that this book is billed as a biography, Kafka is mostly just along for the ride. Which is to say: Have you ever focused your wanderlust on…
If only letters – written, sent with a stamp cornered at a crooked angle – were still a thing. As they are sadly not, instead of out of mailboxes, I’ve been pulling off of shelves piles of books crammed with page after page of posthumously published letters, the latest being Anne Sexton’s, as compiled and…
Recently there has been a resurgence in interest in the character of George Smiley with the reboot of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Although Gary Oldman does a credible George Smiley for me he’ll always look like Alec Guinness from the BBC Mini-Series that follows the John le Carre novel very closely. I was thrilled to see Michael Jago’s The Man Who Was George Smiley: The Life of John Bingham
Sons of Liberty priemeres on History Channel on January 25th. Get caught up in the Revolution, and then stop by the library to check out our display of books dedicated to this rabble-rousing lot and other key Revolutionary figures; look for the display just beyond the new book room.
The name William Marshal was not wholly unknown to me going into Asbridge’s The Greatest Knight, but the details of Marshal’s life, those were very sketchy indeed. I’ve only just started the second section of the biography, which opens in 1166, shortly after Marshal had been knighted, but prior to that my notes on his…
“BBC AMERICA’s new co-production drama series, The Musketeers, is set on the streets of seventeenth century Paris, where law and order is an idea more than a reality. In addition to being King Louis XIII’s personal bodyguards, Athos, Aramis and Porthos stand resolutely for social justice, honor, valor, love – and for the thrill of…
“Set in Toronto at the dawn of the 20th century, Murdoch Mysteries is a one-hour drama series that explores the intriguing world of William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson), a methodical and dashing detective who pioneers innovative forensic techniques to solve some of the city’s most gruesome murders.” [Image & Text: Murdoch Mysteries Official Website] You may…
“The extraordinary life of the man who founded Islam, and the world he inhabited—and remade. Muhammad’s was a life of almost unparalleled historical importance; yet for all the iconic power of his name, the intensely dramatic story of the prophet of Islam is not well known. In The First Muslim, Lesley Hazleton brings him…
“I hope we’re as good friends when you finish your book as we are now,” Ben Bradlee, the legendary former executive editor of The Washington Post, told Jeff Himmelman in March 2010. “But I don’t give a [expletive deleted] what you write about me.” No author could make this man uninteresting. Yours in Truth, begun…
Publisher’s Summary: “The unique life story of one of the most talented and inventive comedians, star of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Star Trek. Zombies in North London, death cults in the West Country, the engineering deck of the Enterprise: actor, comedian, writer and self-proclaimed supergeek Simon Pegg has been ploughing some bizarre…
“Legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor, a two-time Oscar winner and Hollywood beauty whose screen success was sometimes overshadowed by her tumultuous personal life, died on Wednesday at age 79.” [via Los Angeles Times] The library owns several biographies on Elizabeth Taylor, including: (linked to the catalog) Elizabeth by J. Randy Taraborrelli “A portrait of Oscar award-winning…
Rick Springfield’s recently released memoir is not for the faint of heart – or at least those clinging to the lily white image of Dr. Noah Drake. While he managed to avoid the plague of drugs and alcohol, the rocker was admittedly a BAD boy for a LONG time. But in this intimate and not…
J.R. Ackerly’s Memoir My Dog Tulip has just been re-released in anticipation of the new animated film based on the book. The distinguished British man of letters, Ackerley hardly thought of himself as a dog lover when, well into middle age, he came to adopt Tulip – a beautiful, yet intolerable 18-month-old German shepherd. To…
Ah, the pleasures of doing the “hard work” in reading. Let David Lipsky guide you on an amazing, intimate and poignant journey with the late writer, David Foster Wallace. Lipsky has transcribed the tapes of a week-long “interview” with DFW during the book tour for his breakthrough work, Infinite Jest. Originally planned for Rolling Stone,…
HarperCollins, the publisher of an upcoming biography that focuses on the love story that played out between Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, has a neat feature that allows you to look inside the book, sample the writing, the story. They’re offering up that look inside for Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage…
When The Game Was Ours by Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson with Jackie MacMullen For Boston sports fans growing up in the 1980s, nothing was bigger than the Celtics vs. the Lakers. The nearly two decades that have passed since the retirement of their franchise players has left this Generation X-er sorely missing Larry…
We’ll Be Here For the Rest of Our Lives: A Swingin’ Show-biz Saga by Paul Shaffer As a longtime Late Night/Late Show with David Letterman fan, Paul Shaffer’s memoir was a must-read for me. And while he shares plenty of great behind-the-scenes stories about this now 28-year stint in late night television, Shaffer offers a…
If you haven’t yet discovered the talented and passionate writer Louise Desalvo, On Moving is a wonderful opportunity to begin to glimpse this unapologetic feminist and highly accomplished scholar’s inner life and to share her fascinating musings and insights into the lives of writers you may also have read and loved . Marilyn Demario writes:…
John Grogan, the author of the very popular book Marley & Me, has written a biography centered around his dying father. The utmost homage is paid to his dad while he regales his audience with flashbacks from his own life. He and his siblings were subjected to a strict Catholic upbringing. Several chapters of the…
In this groundbreaking, bestselling graphic memoir, Alison Bechdel charts her fraught relationship with her late father. In her hands, personal history becomes a work of amazing subtlety and power, written with controlled force and enlivened with humor, rich literary allusion, and heartbreaking detail. Distant and exacting, Bruce Bechdel was an English teacher and director of…
Its difficult to imagine anyone who has’t been touched by breast cancer either in their own family or that of friends and acquaintances. Jessica Queller’s book is a powerful reminder of how insidious and often ubiquitous this disease is – every woman Jessica encounters in her emotional sojourn has an important story to tell. Queller…
Nicholas Dawidoff’s haunting memoir of his childhood in New Haven, Connecticut is a moving and richly realized family portrait. No doubt armed with the courage of his impressive successes as a writer (The Catcher Was a Spy and The Fly Swatter, a Pulitzer Prize finalist) and editor (Baseball : A Literary Anthology) Dawidoff confronts his…
Brought it to boil, often. – Mario Batali I was born some assembly required. – Eric Jordan Macular degeneration. Didn’t see that coming. – Ian Gould Compiled by the editors of Smith Magazine, this book of six-word memoirs is impossible to put down. I found myself saying, “I’ll just read two more pages and then…
You’re the writer, but remember, I’m your author”. These words, spoken by the author’s mother, reveal the truth behind this memoir. Despite growing up in the shadow of a controlling, substance-abusing mother, Felicia manages to get into Fordham University, become a creative writer and secure a position at an up-and-coming dot.com company. Though she is…
Long before she was born, Dominika first appeared to her mother in a dream, so when she came to be, she was welcomed with eager expectation and much love. Though her arrival was auspicious, as the child of recognized dissidents associated with the failed Prague Spring uprising, Dominika’s life would be far from charmed. Her…
If you enjoy history, and can snag a copy of this popular read, do so immediately! Award winning historian Hodes does a masterful job of recreating the life of a woman, Eunice Stone Connolly, in the 19th century through her letters to her family before during and after the American Civil War. Connolly was rendered…
Who wants to be a librarian??? After holding many diverse jobs, the author takes a Civil Service Test and is soon hired as a librarian. His definition of a library is a place you can “walk in off the street, pull books off the shelf without an employee looking nervously, and take them home. All…
I’m not a football fan, but in this case, I’ll make an exception. Most everyone was inspired by Tedy Bruschi’s amazing comeback from a stroke to play football again. This biography, co-authored with Michael Holley details the severity of the Patriots player’s attack precipitated by an undetected heart condition. His perseverance and courage in the…
This is a very nice looking book with short essays by over sixty authors. They talk about where they write, how they get started and any talisman’s they like to have on hand when writing. My father was a supremely organized man. After he died, my three sisters and I read through countless letters, papers…
You might like this book if you are into Alternative/Indie Rock. You would like it even more if you are a GenXer, particularly if you were born in 1970 and were obsessed with the band Guided By Voices. This is a memoir of Sellars’s coming of age in music. The best part of the book…
This fun little book is a memoir about working in bookstores and a history of bookselling. Even though he has worked in the industry for years, Buzbee still loves walking into a bookstore. His passion for books is infectious and unprententious. He spends a fare amount of time talking about the birth of “booklust.” Here’s…
I already had extreme respect for this baseball player. Reading his biography only increased this respect. He gives credit to his family, especially his dad, who taught him to overcome disappointments by working harder. He is a genuine nice guy who still can’t believe his success.
For those of you who like biographies, here’s a review from Julie: Lately I’ve been reading some of Reeve Lindbergh’s books. Anne Morrow Lindbergh was (is? how would you put it when the writer is dead (thus was), but you’re still enjoying her books (thus is)? anyway…) one of my favorite writers. I read her…
Margaret Bradham Thornton has edited and annotated Tennessee Williams “notebooks.” The compilation has received rave reviews: From Booklist: “The greatest American playwright? Regardless of one’s personal thoughts on his ultimate ranking, Tennessee Williams was inarguably great. For the first time, and for dedicated aficionados of his work, his complete journals are now being published. Kept…
I don’t know when NPR started to takeover, but it seems to be always on at my house. This book profiles a number of NPR newscasters including some of my favorites like Scott Simon and Nina Totenberg. Phillips explores how veteran NPR personalities ended up in radio and the reader gets a sense of what…